'We need reassurance over future of farming'

A farmer is hoping for "reassurance" from both local and central government over the future of his industry.

Speaking ahead of the National Farmers' Union's annual conference, Edward Garratt, who has a small farm on the Wrekin in Shropshire, said a resilient food system was "the cornerstone to not just food security, but national security as well."

Thousands of farmers from across the country are due to gather at the ICC in Birmingham for the event.

The theme of the 2026 conference is "building farming's resilience", with speakers including Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Emma Reynolds.

Garratt, who is also the Shropshire NFU's county adviser, said that "in times of national security problems, the ability to feed our own people is vital."

"It's not that many years ago, since Covid, where there was a real concern about where we were going to get our food from," he added.

The NFU conference was "one of the main events in the farming calendar," Garratt said, adding that his industry was looking for "reassurance" from the government that it would encourage "productivity and growth" in the industry.

"We're hoping for more details on the sustainable farming incentive," he added.

In April last year the government's Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme was closed for new applications having reached its budget limits.

The project encourages farmers to use sustainable methods - and provides funding to enable them to do so.

In January the government announced a new system would open in June 2026.

"Farming is a long-term investment and it's measured in years not months, so we need some more clarity," Garratt said, adding that more details would mean "farmers can have confidence to invest in their business."

Looking closer to home, Garratt said farmers needed "more reassurance from local government of how important farming is to Shropshire's economy".

"We are certainly one of the biggest employers in the county," he said, adding that "a lot of people rely on farming".

Reflecting on the conference's resilience theme, Garratt said farmers needed to have "confidence" that they were being supported.

"We can do the job, we know what we're doing, but with confidence in farming at an all-time low, are farmers going to be around to produce the food?"

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.